The spot fixing scandal in the Indian
Premier League of cricket is only the latest disgrace in the sickening, never
ending saga of moral failure in our national life. We have got so used to
blaming governance and the institutions of the law that we forget that
our pathetic education system is also responsible. And yes, parents too
are guilty, for the home is the crucible of the moral life. However, one
inspiring teacher can make all the difference in moulding the values of young
human beings. This is one of the findings of the 33-year-old Harvard economist,
Raj Chetty, who recently won the prestigious Clarke Medal which is second
only in status to the Nobel Prize.
Some of us were lucky to have had such a teacher when we
were growing up. She incited and fed our curiosity and when we did wrong she
gave a little nudge in the right direction. That course correction resulted in
a new action, which when repeated became a habit, and the habit in time became
our character. As we grew older we reaped the consequences of our character,
which is another way of expressing the old idea of karma. The development of
the intellect and moral character are related. Just as there is an order in
nature and in the realm of numbers, so too is there a moral order that gives
coherence to our lives. A good teacher is able to transmit this order, not by
exhortation but by becoming a role model.
About 20% of India’s children today receive a decent
education, but for the rest it is a depressing story. On the positive side, 97%
of children do enter school. However, after a year only 43% can recognize
letters. By class 5, half the children cannot read a class 2 textbook and three
quarters cannot do simple division. By class 10, Indian children rank second
last, aboveKyrgyzstan, in a test recently given by the Program for
International Student Assessment in 74 countries. This is tragic! Our education
establishment is, however, in denial and the Right to Education Act is totally
silent on learning outcomes.
The weakest link in our appalling system is the tired and
cynical teacher, who lost his spark decades ago if he ever had any. Too few
teachers think of teaching as their dharma. How many wake up in the morning,
look at the mirror and exclaim, “Today, I shall inspire one child in my class!”
Yet not one of our political leaders has the guts to say bluntly what President
Obama did on American television a few years ago: “Bad teachers should be
fired”.
In this dismal scene, however, there are green shoots of
hope. Teachers’ salaries have risen in recent years. This means that the right
sort of persons will be attracted to the teaching profession. Technology also
offers lots of possibilities. Children can now watch the world’s best teachers
teach online, even on their mobile phone. The amazing ‘Teach for India’
programme, modelled after ‘Teach for America’, selects outstanding college
graduates and offers them a chance to teach in poor schools where they soon
become role models of change. Cities like Mumbai have begun to turn over
failing municipal schools to NGOs who have quickly brought in the world’s best
practices. Who knows, one day we may again produce legendary teachers, such as
the one in Dharmapuri district in Tamilnadu, who bicycled 20 km in rain and
shine to his village school for thirty years and produced a whole generation of
great leaders.
Obviously, we cannot wait for an inspiring teacher to fall
from heaven. Neither is there any point in complaining about corruption in high
places. The moral foundation is laid at home and parents must take
responsibility to teach moral reasoning to their kids. But parents must also
get involved in the school. Studies show that where parents take an interest, the
quality of the school improves. Even poor parents can make a difference.
Although the Right to Education Act provides for parents’ involvement via
school committees, this is not an easy task in a callous system of rapacious
unions and uncaring bureaucrats. But it has to be done.
